The City of Nanaimo is hosting a free family fun night on Friday, June 26, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Maffeo Sutton Park, with live music and activities featured.

Among the offerings will be games, bouncy castles, face painting and a large selection of food trucks throughout the park.

Beginning at 8 p.m., a live broadcast will be shown on a big screen of the New Zealand vs Belgium game from BC Place in Vancouver.

Both teams are in contention of advancing to the knock-out stage of the tournament.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for increased comfort.

Funding for the watch party comes from a provincial community events support fund grant.

The night will wrap after 10 p.m. with a lighted drone show over the park and the Harbour, with audio accompaniment broadcast in the park on 98.7 FM.

Limited parking is available at Maffeo Sutton Park, so event-goers are encouraged to choose public or active transportation options for the evening.

A free bike valet service will also be available on site.

The event is part of a larger Concerts in the Park series hosted by the City, which began in late April and will continue through Aug. 27.

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On the morning of Wednesday, June 24, a fire wiped out a dome-like structure on Springhill Dr. in rural Parksville belonging to Waste Collections of Canada, which handles curbside organic and recyclable materials.

As a result, all detached properties spanning Cedar to Deep Bay, with the exception of the City of Nanaimo, are impacted, noted RDN solid waste services manager, Ben Routledge.

“We realize that this is quite a large service disruption, so every option is on the table, and we’re working with our partners to try and find a quick and easy solution so residents can get their service back and restored,” Routledge told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Aftermath of a severely damaged Waste Connections of Canada curbside recycling transfer hub on on Springhill Rd. in rural Parksville. (Image Credit: Submitted image)

As a result of the fire, recycling and organic-specific curbside pick-ups are impacted in the central and northern areas of the RDN’s waste collection system from Lantzville northward, Routledge said.

For the time being, Routledge said customers can expect unpredictable service delays.

“Residents that do end up getting missed collections, we’ll waive those fees at either our Church Rd. Transfer Station or the Regional Landfill; all they’ll need to do is identify their address, they’ll automatically load into the system and their fees will be waived.”

The RDN works with private firm Waste Connections of Canada, where the rural Parksville fire took place.

The company also has a facility handling RDN organic waste and recycling products on Nanaimo’s Tenth St.

Routledge said the indefinite elimination of its northern facility puts the RDN in a difficult position.

“Because our collection drivers are all commercially licensed operators they have a maximum allowable drive time each day, so we’re anticipating some areas of collection routes are not going to be collected daily.”

Identifying an alternative transfer site or finding a solution on the existing Springhill Rd. property is actively being explored, Routledge said.

The RDN collects curbside garbage, recycling, and organic materials from about 30,000 households weekly with the use of 10 collection trucks.

Routledge estimates in the range of 20,000 households are impacted by the service disruption, with over 700 households experiencing some form of impact daily.

He said the RDN is communicating curbside service alerts on its website (where the RDN Curbside app can be accessed), as well as its social media channels.

Smoke billows from the Waste Connections of Canada facility, located near the RDN’s Church Rd. Transfer Station. (Image Credit: Submitted image)

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Police in Nanaimo have noticed an increasing trend since early last year and escalating in recent months involving a small group of youth, believed to be between the ages of 13 and 15, kicking, pounding, or striking front doors during the late night or very early morning hours.

Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW the trend has caused thousands of dollars in property damage and frightened many homeowners who’ve awoken or been startled by the sudden racket.

“They’ve scared a lot of senior people and a lot of our vulnerable population. They think their houses are being broken into, some doors have had their frames fractured, and some people have actually chased these individuals who are very concerned that there’s going to be an altercation at some point.”

A heat map of reported incidents in recent months. (Image Credit: Nanaimo RCMP)

O’Brien notes no one has been formally identified through incidents yet, however investigations continue.

Notable damage has resulted in around half of the cases Mounties are aware of, O’Brien noted, with residents spending considerable amounts of money on security cameras and home repairs as a result.

It’s been an issue in different parts of the city since early last year.

“It’s a trend that’s following on TikTok, we follow social media trends as well, and as a block watch coordinator, I’ve spoken to other people in the north, especially off McGirr, and they’re having this situation in early 2025. Those were probably Dover Bay students, and as it has transferred down into the central area, most likely involving Wellington and other high school students.”

O’Brien added the damage is enough to constitute Criminal Code of Canada charges under the Youth Justice Act, which he said “will have a lasting impact on their lives.”

Anyone who sees youth kicking, striking, or otherwise damaging doors for the challenge is asked to call 911.

Damage to a front door earlier this year in central Nanaimo, involving a bike tire. (Image Credit: Submitted Photo)

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Nothing changed.

Cheyenne Patricia Davidson, 33, was recently handed an eight-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to four charges connected to unresolved substance misuse issues.

With credit for time already served, Davidson is slated to be released next month from Alouette Correctional Centre for Women in Maple Ridge with plans to move back to Nanaimo.

Davidson has continually stolen from Nanaimo-area liquor stores, with Best Buy Liquor Store on Jingle Pot Rd. her apparent favourite target.

Crown counsel’s Kyle Grant said the vast majority of Davidson’s crimes have been since 2023.

“Twelve of those 17 total criminal code convictions are for theft unders (theft under $5,000), noteworthy that I believe all of the theft under convictions were for shoplifting, primarily from liquor stores.”

Davidson stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of booze during three of her most recent shoplifting sprees, two of them from the Jingle Pot Rd. store.

Court heard how staff, surveillance footage and Nanaimo RCMP were able to swiftly identify Davidson’s unsophisticated thefts.

Davidson was granted bail under the condition she start treatment on March 12 in the Fraser Valley.

Four days later, an agreed statement of facts outlined by the Crown’s Grant confirmed Davidson breached her release order by leaving the facility.

She was re-arrested in mid-April.

Cheyenne Patricia Davidson is a chronic Nanaimo-area retail thief (Image Credit: Nanaimo RCMP)

Davidson has been in and out of jail since last July.

She was sentenced for theft and breaching probation conditions this past September.

The mother of two has substance abuse issues, which are the driving force behind her criminal behaviour, court was told.

Davidson had worked for several years in the healthcare industry and began suffering from seizures around five years ago.

Defence counsel Robert Fredrickson reported Davidson does not have any significant mental health issues, but noted substance abuse is a significant problem.

“At this stage she has detoxed, she’s been in custody a significant period of time and is now in a situation where she wants to carry forward with her life,” Fredrickson told the provincial court sentencing hearing.

Davidson intends to live in a shelter environment in Nanaimo until she can obtain more formal housing.

The offender had been on income assistance before her latest run-ins with the law.

She told court from a remote video feed that she had done lots of self-healing work, which includes programming while in custody.

“I’m ready to move on with my life and put all of this behind me, and I’ve definitely learned from my mistakes, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to move forward from all of this,” Davidson proclaimed.

Davidson’s sentence also includes a year-long probationary term.

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Unanimous support was given to the first two readings of a zoning bylaw on Monday, June 22, which would add a new Social Housing Zone designation to roughly 2,100 selected properties throughout the city.

The optional designation would allow future development to exceed zoning limits on height and density, provided certain subsidized housing targets are met, according to community planner Kasia Biegun.

“We’re recommending about seven per cent of all parcels in the city be re-zoned, or be called eligible parcels for this optional zone. Heritage properties listed in City Plan…have been excluded to address concerns raised by Council and the community, and a height limit of six stories is also being placed for the majority of the…downtown.”

Eligible developments under the option zoning would need to ensure 20 per cent of their total units were subsidized and offered for 20 per cent below market rents for comparable units.

Market rates would be taken from data provided by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Biegun told councillors the engagement they’ve undertaken with non-profit and for-profit housing groups, faith-based organizations, and developers showed there were differing views on the level of subsidy required.

She added the bylaw can be refined over time as real-world data is collected.

“It’s a starting point, and it gives us an opportunity to amend it if we’re seeing that it’s not affordable, but we also have to make sure that it is financially viable for development to come forward. It’s a recommendation right now that we start at 20 per cent below market and then see how the program progresses over time.”

Despite supporting the bylaw amendment in principle, coun. Ben Geselbracht expressed some concerns about its tangible benefits.

He noted a unit offered for an average of $1,800 on the market would be subsidized down to just over $1,400 under this bylaw, keeping it still out of reach for many.

“I am concerned that we’ll prezone a bunch of properties and get something that really isn’t that affordable for the actual demographics we’re trying to hit.”

The proposed bylaw amendment is still subject to public hearing, to be scheduled at a later date by the City, as well as third reading and final adoption at a future Council meeting.

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The incident happened on Tuesday, June 23, at around 2 p.m. and saw the 15-year-old travelling southbound down Metral Dr. when a turning Ford van at Bergen Op Zoom Dr. crossed into the dedicated bike lane.

Nanaimo RCMP Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW the helmetless youth collided with the driver’s side door of the car and was thrown to the ground, suffering some non-life-threatening injuries.

“The driver of the car had to yield to the scooter, and the youth was not meeting the minimum age for the kick scooter pilot project, as he was only 15 years of age, and he was also operating without a helmet.”

The scooter involved in the incident, riden by a 15-year-old boy who was without a helmet. (Image Credit: Nanaimo RCMP)

The 36-year-old driver of the van, along with the 15-year-old, were ticketed under the Motor Vehicle Act for their respective offences.

O’Brien noted they believe speed, from the youth, was a factor in the collision.

“There wasn’t a ticket issued for that, but it was deemed to be at least 30 kilometres per hour, if not higher, and that’s an extremely dangerous situation when you’re operating a scooter at that speed and with no helmet.”

The maximum allowable speed for e-scooters is 25 kilometres per hour.

The crash comes amid a ride in popularity for e-scooters and e-bikes, along with increased infrastructure being installed across Nanaimo.

O’Brien said the rules of the road are paramount, and everyone shares responsibility for others’ safety.

“It’s a good reminder to recognize there’s a shared responsibility that exists between drivers and those using other means of transportation. When the drivers are turning and crossing roadways, they have to check right and left. These devices are very quiet, and collisions are inevitable if they don’t share the roadway.”

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The result saw the Swiss win Group B and earn a round-of-32 match in Vancouver on July 2 against the third-place team from Group E, F, G, I or J.

Canada finished second in the group and will play Group A’s runner-up in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Ruben Vargas opened the scoring in the 46th minute and Johan Manzambi followed with a goal in the 57th.

Promise David replied for Canada in the 76th minute, just one minute after coming in off the bench for Tajon Buchanan.

Canada began the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12 before thumping Qatar 6-0 last Thursday for their first ever win in the men’s tournament.

Coach Jesse Marsch was forced to switch up his midfield against Switzerland after Ismaël Koné saw his leg broken in two places during the win over Qatar.

The 24-year-old midfielder from Montreal was in the building on Wednesday, sitting on Canada’s bench with his left leg bandaged following surgery.

The sold out crowd of 52,479 cheered as he was shown on the big screen being pushed to the sideline in a wheelchair before kickoff.

The two sides spent much of the first half feeling one another out.

Switzerland had the first real chance of the match in the 11th minute when Breel Embolo launched a shot from near the penalty spot, only to see Canada ‘keeper Maxime Crepeau come up with the stop.

The rebound popped out to Manzambi, who saw his attempt blocked by defender Derek Cornelius.

The Canadians came close eight minutes later off a free kick taken by Mathieu Choinière. Winger Tajon Buchanan ticked the ball from just above the six-yard box and Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel got in the ball’s path.

There was some pushing and shoving in the 31st minute after Swiss captain Granit Xhaka went to kick the ball and caught Canadian striker Cyle Larin in the process. The two players shared a hug after Larin got up off the turf, but both were shown the yellow card.

Switzerland had a solid opportunity before the half with a free kick just above the penalty area, but Xhaka sent the ball sailing well over Canada’s net, drawing cheers from the boisterous red-clad crowd.

Winger Ali Ahmed came within inches of giving Canada the lead late in the first half with a shot from inside the area. Kobel made a diving save to poke it out of harm’s way and both teams headed to the locker room with the score knotted at 0-0.

Vargas changed that just one minute into the second half.

Manzambi skipped the Sevilla midfielder a pass and Vargas put it in off the goalpost to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead in the 46th minute.

Manzambi doubled the advantage 11 minutes later after Canadian defender Luc de Fougerolles missed a ball above the penalty area, then slipped, giving the 20-year-old Swiss midfielder time and space to send a right-footed shot in.

Marsch followed with a series of offensive-minded substitutions, including bringing Promise David on for Buchanan in the 75th minute.

The decision paid off one minute later when Nathan Saliba chipped a cross over to the big striker and he made no mistake in driving a sliding right-footed shot in, cutting Canada’s deficit to 2-1.

With time ticking down, Marsch stood on the sidelines, pumping his arms in an attempt to hype up the crowd. They responded with chants of “Let’s go Canada!”

Many fans got to their feet in the third minute of stoppage time as Alistair Johnston threw the ball in from near the corner flag. David received the ball on his head but sent the ball down and Kobel dropped to his goal line and denied the equalizer.

Bosnia finished third in the group after defeating Qatar 3-1 in Seattle.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

Temperatures in Nanaimo hit 32.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, June 23, surpassing the 1992 high point of 31.1.

Qualicum Beach also broke its 1992 record of 27.5 degrees, when it hit 32.2 on Tuesday.

Courtenay and Comox were in unison when they both reached 31.5 degrees, breaking their previous records of 28.9, both set in 1989.

The Duncan area broke an 86-year-old daily high temperature record at 32.9 degrees, with Gonzales Point in Victoria hitting 30.4, beating their 2017 record of 26.6.

North of them, Port Hardy hit 24.2 degrees, good enough to best their 1961 record of 21.1, while Tofino on Vancouver Island’s west coast saw a high of 28.9 degrees Tuesday, beating its 1989 mark of 27.4.

Temperatures are expected to cool off by Thursday, with a good chance Vancouver Island will see a bit of rain before the weekend.

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The new home of Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank, at 1861 East Wellington Rd., will be named the Tom Harris Regional Food Centre, following a $750,000 donation from the Tom Harris Foundation.

Peter Sinclair, executive director of Loaves and Fishes, said the money is a substantial boost for the project, which is in its final stages of construction.

“When we put shovels in the ground, we wanted to get to stage two. We broke this project into three stages. This contribution from the Tom Harris Foundation gets us pretty close to the line for getting to the end of stage two. With the matching campaign they’ve announced…that will get us to the line. ”

In addition to the immediate funding, the Tom Harris Community Foundation is also looking to raise an additional $750,000 over the next two years through community contributions.

Sinclair said the relationship between Loaves and Fishes and the Tom Harris Foundation dates back to 2012, when Harris helped the food bank buy their first five-tonne truck.

Regular contributions to Loaves and Fishes have followed in the years since.

The 24,000 square foot warehouse facility is poised to ensure the long-term future of the non-profit organization, by acting as their headquarters and primary food recovery, storage and distribution centre.

Construction is nearing completion on the project, seen as a transformative moment for the growing non-profit. (Image Credit: Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Thousands of people in the Nanaimo area, and well over 15,000 people throughout Vancouver Island access food and services provided by Loaves and Fishes each month.

Sinclair told NanaimoNewsNOW they are on track to open the facility by the fall.

“The construction crews are working super hard right now, and we anticipate taking possession of it end of July, potentially beginning of August, so we’re looking at the month of August as when we’ll be moving our operations over there. It will be a staged process, where we first move our empties program over, then we’ll be moving all our food operations over as the second phase of that move.”

Having a huge space to centralize all their efforts is a game-changer for the organization, Sinclair added.

“This is going to enable us to access more food than ever before and get that food out to more communities and more organizations. We’re super excited about all the opportunities this presents to us. It’s going to allow us to streamline our operations and be more efficient in what we’re doing.”

It will also help create a more comfortable environment for their 400+ monthly volunteers, who presently work in either very hot, or very cold conditions, depending on the time of year.

Sinclair said more volunteers are needed, and donating some time is the quickest way to see the inside of the new East Wellington Rd. facility.

The City of Nanaimo bought the East Wellington Rd. lot late in 2021 to allow Loaves and Fishes to advance the project.

It’s located immediately next to a Canada Post office and sorting facility.

The provincial government made a $7 million contribution to the project in 2023, while federal funding to the tune of $5 million was confirmed earlier this year.

Tony Harris with the Foundation said the innovation displayed by Loaves and Fishes under Sinclair’s leadership will have a positive impact for generations to come.

“We believe firmly that model is scalable and will disrupt the way that food security is approached across the country,” Harris said.

The Tom Harris Charity Classic recently held its seventh annual golf tournament, which Harris said generated just over $800,000 for a combined total of just under $5 million to support a range of regional health, education, youth services, sport and food security causes.

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Following weeks of warm, dry, sunny weather across much of Vancouver Island, a strong high-pressure system is poised to break down and move off beginning Thursday, June 25, leaving a pathway for some long-overdue rainfall.

Environment Canada meteorologist Jennifer Cowal said areas of the south and west coast of the Island, along with the Sunshine Coast, will see most of the rainfall.

“We’ve got a low-pressure system that’s approaching from the Pacific, it’s going to be a real change in pattern to what we’ve had for the last weeks. Temperatures will be dropping, we’ll have increasing cloudiness, and then we’ll have rain starting Thursday into Friday morning.”

While parts of eastern Vancouver Island, including Nanaimo and Oceanside, will likely only see around five millimetres of rain, other parts could see upwards of 25 millimetres.

Far from a record-breaker in late June, Cowal said every little bit helps.

The rainfall will, at least temporarily, help the wildfire situation across the region, following a number of small sparks in recent weeks across parts of Vancouver Island.

Cowal said the very strong high-pressure system, which had been in place for the last seven to 10 days, prevented any storms from coming through.

“There’s been a very persistent ridge of high pressure over the south coast, and you can imagine it as a block of warm air, it’s stagnant, it’s in place, and when there’s a system that comes towards it, if the high is strong enough, it will just deflect any weather system around it.”

Cowal added another high-pressure system is developing in the Pacific at the moment but will run into some more unsettled weather from northern Canada and Alaska in the next week, with a wait-and-see approach on how much active weather the Island will see.

Temperatures are forecast to be well above normal for much of the summer months locally.

Stage three water restrictions are already in place in Nanaimo and Parksville, as well as many parts of the Regional District.

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